Dr Howard Ashton was born in 1945 . He received a BSc from Leicester University, England, in 1967 before going on to study for a PhD at the University of Glasgow which he gained on 6th November 1971 within the Chemistry Department. His thesis title was A study of enzyme-inhibitor interactions by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy . It was after this that he went on to study for an MPhil in the department of Town and Regional Planning again at the University of Glasgow. He attended courses on the history of urban development, structural development, land economics, town planning, and law, and wrote a further thesis entitled Port planning and regional development . He achieved his MPhil in 1973. In the General Council Register of the University his occupation is stated as Town Planner.
From the guide to the Papers of Dr Howard Ashton, b 1945, town planning postgraduate, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1971-1973, (Glasgow University Archives Service)
